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New Museum and Archives - Shetland During the War Section


Rourkes Drift
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Apologies Just Me and Pooks - a classioc example of not reading the entry properly, jumping in a the deep end, and going on the defensive!!! :oops: :cry: So very sorry!

 

Perhaps Just Me's entry could be given a whole new thread?

 

And, by the way, I wholeheartedly agree with regard to the calenders and the website. Equally, we are very bad in Shetlandfor having new websites set up and initiated. But mantaining them and looking after them is just as - if not more important!! There in perhaps lyes a thread for the technoloby thead now!!!

 

:lol:

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- Does the Run Rabbit song really originate in Shetland? Who can tell us more??

 

Mam used to tell me about how the song originated, I can't mind the whole of it at the moment but I'll give her a call the night and get back to you with the full story.

 

As far I can mind the first munition of the war was dropped here (somewhere in the back of mind it was Bressa but because I come fae Bressa I'm probably getting muddled up - lots of stories not enough brain space) but the only thing it killed was a rabbit. As I say I'm trying to mind this fae about 15 years ago and might have it completely wrong so feel free to correct me if I have it horrendously wrong.

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I have nothing to base this on, but was the rabbit not killed at Sullom, or somewhere nearby?

 

This too is how I remember this story .. as well as the photographer actually picking up a rabbit from the butcher that is Vaila art now before heading up. A classic example of propoganda. Though I may have been fed nonsense ... it would be good to clear this up ... anyone?

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I have nothing to base this on, but was the rabbit not killed at Sullom, or somewhere nearby?

 

This too is how I remember this story .. as well as the photographer actually picking up a rabbit from the butcher that is Vaila art now before heading up. A classic example of propoganda. Though I may have been fed nonsense ... it would be good to clear this up ... anyone?

 

I seem to remember some years back, some local publication printing a copy of the photo of the bomb crater and the guy holding the rabbit, along with a caption/text of the story the rabbit had been bought en route and the picture stage managed.

 

Unfortunately I've long since forgotten where it was published, so it's not much help in finding the source of the picture/info to cross check it's validity.

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Two German planes attacked and sank a group of Seaplanes anchored at Gremista. None of the German planes were shot down and there were no fatalities on the ground. My grandmother saw the planes fly past the Bruce Hostel. She says you could clearly see the swastikas on the side of the planes. A photo of smoke coming from Gremista can be seen here (the planes were drawn in by the photographer)

 

http://photos.shetlandmuseum.org.uk/shetlands/app?service=external/SearchResults&sp=L0%3Agerman+planes&sp=54338&sp=SItem

 

The attack made the front page of a national newspaper (can’t remember which one) along with a photograph. I’m not sure if it was the same photograph as above. I might try and look into this a bit further if anyones interested

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- In addition, was there not a German plane attack on Skerries lighthouse in which there were fatalaties? Equally, I am aware of a German mine that also came ashore at the Sletts in Lerwick killing a local man who happened to be passing?

 

Yeah a lighthouse keepers wife was killed when the Skerries lighthouse was attacked. I was told that the bomb hit the ground, bounced, and hit the shore station next to the lighthouse. Likewise the lighthouse keepers wife in Fair Isle was killed by machinegun fire. You would think Fair Isle or the Skerries would be the safest place to be in a time of war but apparently not.

 

There was a guy killed at the knab / sletts by a mine. There were also a couple young lads killed by a mine on the meal beach at Burra. Another young boy was killed after the war had ended by a handgrenade he had found and took home.

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Of course I accept Rourkes Drift's apology. I do see that I could have worded my message a bit better. All I wanted to do was get the bit about the museum website being out of date mentioned in a topic where someone who could fix it might read my message.
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Rescued section of discussion thread

Spoke to Mam last night and she confirmed that it was up north but couldn't mind if it was Sullom or not. She also said that the propaganda picture was published in the Times when they were commemorating 60 years of WWII.
HEARD have brought out a booklet called - 'Northmavine, The War Years Remembered.' It is an oral history project aiming to collect and preserve the memories of the people of Northmavine. The text includes the conversations and recollections as well as being illustrated with local photographs from the period. Included is the Run, Rabbit Run picture with some recollections of the event. The photo looks as though it was made into a postcard and states - 7' deep bomb crater from enemy raid on Shetland, Nov 13th, 1939 - and shows the man holding the rabbit plus there is a News of the World cartoon depicting Goering & Hitler and 'Shetland's Hare-Raid'.

 

The booklet is available from some shops plus from the HEARD website. There are also a section on WWII.

 

http://www.heard.shetland.co.uk/

 

 

The Northmavine community website is due to go live this summer and contains an account of the Run Rabbit Run story plus other personal recollections by a Sullom resident.

 

http://www.northmavine.com/

 

There were guns at both ends of Lerwick Harbour, at the Ness of Sound, emplacements still there, and at the Green Head. This latter place was a prominent rocky headland which was demolished by explosives when the Norscot base was being built. Certainly in WW1 there was a boom across the harbour, and I think in WW2 also. I have my father's permit, headed 'Lerwick Harbour Defences' and signed pp. the Chief Constable, which allowed my father to take his fourareen out of the harbour to go to the olicks ! Date is 19 July 1940. The ' Torpedo Tubes' below the cemetery on the Knab were part of the defences.

There was also a camp with observation buildings (looking straight out over Breiwick) and some underground sections in the field where the Bells Brae school is now, I mind fine playing there as a boy, the roof had fallen in on some of the underground passages which was a great disapointment ! If I remember any more I will post later.

There was a German Heinkel attack over Lerwick early no in the war. ...

- In addition, was there not a German plane attack on Skerries lighthouse ...

 

There is an excellent Norwegian website about the German Luftwaffe in Norway, its operations and losses from 1940 onwards. The information about the losses are based on the daily records of the Norwegion Headquarter and official record of the Luftwaffe.

They mention a lot of activity over and around Shetland especially in 1943. From there you can get at least the actual dates of air raids, proposed targets, type of aircraft, positions and reason for the losses as stated by other aircrafts involved.

 

Wolfgang

Do you have a link to the website .. that sounds like a very interesting find!
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  • 8 months later...
Guest Jacko
I saw the memorial marker on Fitful maybe 3 years ago. Has it gone since then?

Do's obviously made a better job of going 'roond da banks' dan i have :oops: , it's longer since i was up last and i couldna see it.

 

& Pooks i be blyde to have a skoit at the crash log too :)

 

Still in place, when I went passed in November 2006.

 

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Does the Run Rabbit song really originate in Shetland? Who can tell us more??.... - Then of course the flying boats based at Sullom Voe? Who can also tell us more about this? In the book as mentioned above, there is a photograph of a service dance that was held in the Sullom area which gives indication as to the amount of activity that happened there during World War Two.

A first hand anecdotal account of the Run, Rabbit, Run incident -

 

http://www.northmavine.com/worldwar2.htm

 

The following web pages contain excerpts, photographs and illustrations from the book, 'A history of Scatsta Airfield, Shetland (revisited)' by Terry Mayes and from his collection. You can buy the book for £3 from the Shetland Times Shop in Lerwick or online from the Shetland Times - all proceeds from the sale of the book go to Cancer Research Scotland.

 

http://www.northmavine.com/images/Terry%20Mayes/book.jpg

 

Scatsta airfield - construction -

 

http://www.northmavine.com/scatsta1.htm

 

Scatsta - the war years -

 

http://www.northmavine.com/scatsta2.htm

 

Scatsta - the war years - photos -

 

http://www.northmavine.com/scatsta3.htm

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A house in Uyeasound was machine-gunned during the war I watched my Father dig the bullets out of the wall when I was a boy

 

 

And Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson VC, DFC, DSO 1 bar landed in Scatsta in a Mosquito on the 02 September 1943. he was Killed the 19th September 1944. He flew out of Woodhall Spa on a bombing mission flying a Mosquito from 627 squadron, having completed the bombing raid Gibson went on to check anti aircraft positions, sadly the Mosquito crashed Killing both Gibson and his navigator Squadron Leader J.B Warwick.

 

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/4068/963532dv9.jpg

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